Insider: Prices for Matt Duchene and Gabriel Landeskog were too high for potential trading partners

As the clock struck 3 p.m. Wednesday, Matt Duchene and Gabriel Landeskog were on the ice with their Colorado Avalanche teammates at Canadian Tire Centre.

Duchene neither crossed the hallway to join the Ottawa Senators, nor did he pack his bag to head to the Montreal Canadiens, New York Islanders or Carolina Hurricanes. It’s believed all four teams showed interest in Duchene and Landeskog, but GM Joe Sakic refused to back down on his ridiculous asking price.

While teams like Duchene, who has a $6-million cap hit through the 2018-19 National Hockey League season, they weren’t willing to pay the four elements that Sakic was asking for in return for him and Landeskog. Lots of teams kicked tires, but everybody hoped the asking price would drop and it never did.

So, instead of getting a chance to play in the playoffs, Duchene and Landeskog will finish the season with the Avalanche, but you have to think there’s a strong chance one of them won’t be back next season. The Avalanche will likely revisit this deal in the off-season, when teams are trying to piece together their rosters.

This was just far too big a deal for the Avalanche to try to make at this time and it’s believed team officials were lot more interested in moving Duchene than in moving Landeskog. If Sakic is back next year, he’ll have to deal with this in June because the fact these two players were available was no secret.

This ‘n’ that: The Islanders held firm on goaltender Jaroslav Halak and didn’t move him before the deadline. There is a belief as many as three teams, including the Calgary Flames, showed interest in Halak, but, because of his $4.5-million cap hit through through next season, the Isles would have had to pick up part of the salary. The Boston Bruins may have also kicked tires on this one. The Islanders would have had to get a goalie back in a Halak deal because they need somebody they can expose in the expansion draft, so trading him didn’t really make sense … It must have been a frustrating day for Buffalo Sabres general manager Tim Murray because he didn’t do anything. The Sabres were hoping to move blueliners Dmitry Kulikov and Cody Franson, but both players stayed put. There was a belief that Kulikov might be able to help someone, while Franson has been a contributor for the Sabres.

Off the glass: Arizona Coyotes forward Shane Doan will finish his career with the club. The 40-year-old didn’t get traded, which means he’ll play out the string with the Coyotes. He had indicated earlier in the season that he would be willing to waive his “no move” clause to go to a contender, but the reality is Doan hasn’t been very good and there may not have been any suitors. The San Jose Sharks had kicked tires before, but it’s not known if they reached out this year. … The Las Vegas Golden Knights will wait until the season is over to name their first head coach. While they’ve reached out to former Florida Panthers coach Gerard Gallant and Jack Capuano, who was fired by the Islanders earlier this season, GM George McPhee might want to wait to see what happens in the playoffs. “We have a shortlist and it’s going to remain a very short list,” McPhee told TSN. Many believe Gallant is the frontrunner and he has interviewed more than once, but the announcement of the first coach in Vegas won’t come anytime soon. The Knights should reach out to Tampa Bay associate coach Rick Bowness. He did a terrific job with the Senators as their first coach from 1992 to 1995 and was a finalist for the job in Anaheim last year.

The last words: Before they acquired Thomas Vanek from the Detroit Red Wings for a third-round pick, the Panthers scoured the forward market. The sent Dylan McIlrath and a third-round pick to the Wings for Vanek, but they also studied the possibility of acquiring Radim Vrbata from the Arizona Coyotes. … A few teams kicked tires on Vancouver goalie Ryan Miller, but he stayed put. There was a belief a team looking for an experienced backup — like San Jose — might show interest for a run to the playoffs. Miller makes $6 million in the final year of his contract. … Before New Jersey defenceman Kyle Quincey was dealt to the Columbus Blue Jackets, it’s believed the Pittsburgh Penguins checked on him. Penguins GM Jim Rutherford acquired blueliners Frank Corrado from Toronto and Mark Streit from Tampa Bay following what turned out be a three-way deal with the Philadelphia Flyers. … By dealing forward Valterri Filppula, Tampa GM Steve Yzerman was able to help himself in the spring. He got money off the Lightning’s cap at this deadline by dealing goalie Ben Bishop and Filppula and solved an expansion-draft issue because he no longer has to protect Filppula.

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